Vijay Raman
- Oct 15, 2023
- 5 min read

Five fastest hundreds in ODI World Cups

Here’s the five fastest tons hit in ODI World Cups so far. Markram, Maxwell, Morgan are among the fastest ton getter in ODI World Cup.

CWC 2023, South Africa vs Sri Lanka_ Aiden Markram hit fastest World Cup hundred _ Walking Wicket (Photo_ ©ICC_Twitter) — Aiden Markram hits fastest World Cup hundred (Photo: ©ICC/Twitter)

A century by any batter usually puts his team in a position of strength, aside from adding to their tally of personal accolades. Yes, cricket is a team game but it is the individuals after all who leave a lasting impact with their performances.

One way for batters to show dominance is to score huge runs at a brisk pace, and in cricketing terms it is usually a century or anything over it.

Here in this article, we will discuss the five fastest centuries ever scored in the history of cricket World Cups and their impact on the game result.

Aiden Markram (South Africa) – 49 balls vs Sri Lanka, Delhi 2023

Aiden Markram (104 from 54) has been a revelation in the last year or so. His performance has been terrific across formats for South Africa and in the 2023 edition of IPL where he captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Markram, however, is more at ease in the 50-over format and coming into the World Cup 2023, he had a handful of runs (577 in 11 innings at 64.11). Apart from this, both of his ODI centuries came in the lead up to the mega event. He then took his attacking to a whole new level in South Africa’s opening game against Sri Lanka at Delhi.

The Delhi pitch was a delight for batters, as was evident by the solid start provided by opener Quinton de Kock & their no.3 Van der Dussen, both of whom hit centuries. Markram made the most of it when he came in to bat in the 31st over after de Kock’s wicket fell. The Proteas were going smoothly at 214/2 then, and Markram started playing with his usual flair.

He took advantage of the short boundaries in Delhi, as he sent the ball 14 times to the fence and 3 times over it. He reached his fifty in 34 balls but his next 50 came in just 15 - as he registered the fastest century ever recorded in an ODI World Cup game and the 12th fastest overall. This ensured SA piled up 428 on the board, the highest-ever in ODI World Cups and eventually won it by 102 runs.

Kevin O’Brien (Ireland) – 50 balls vs England, Bengaluru 2011

In what can best be described as a once in a lifetime knock, Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien (113 from 63) stunned everyone at Bengaluru on that eventful day with his big hitting masterclass. Batting first, England had set a daunting target of 328 for Ireland. The Irish had a poor start - losing four wickets inside 23 overs with just 106 on the board. And this is when the all-rounder arrived at the crease and soon the 5th wicket fell.

With more than 200 required to win, it seemed to be a lost cause but Kevin had other ideas. With an able partner - Alex Cusack - at the other end, the middle-order batter smoked the English bowlers all over Chinnaswamy, notching up a half-century in 30 deliveries. He massacred the bowlers in the next 20 balls he faced, scoring another 50 off them. This innings by Kevin was the fastest century in ODI World Cups for a long time, and was eventually broken by Markram in 2023.

Courtesy this epic knock, Ireland chased down 328 with 5 balls to spare and this gave rise to a folklore which many dearly remember till date.

Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – 51 balls vs Sri Lanka, Sydney 2015

The Australian all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell was at his best in the 2015 World Cup - with 324 runs at an average of over 64 in just 6 innings. His strike rate throughout the tournament was an astonishing 182.02 and this innings of 102 from 53 balls definitely helped the cause.

In just the previous game against Afghanistan, it seemed Maxwell was going to hit the fastest World Cup century but he got out on 88 (39 balls). However, in Sydney, he went one step further and completed the century in 51 deliveries.

Having arrived at the crease when Australia were in a comfortable position (175/3), the all-rounder quickly shifted his gears to launch an all-out assault on the Sri Lanka bowlers. He smoked 4 sixes and 10 fours enroute his incredible century, also his first in ODIs.

This blistering knock helped Australia reach a total of 376 in their 50 overs, and they won the match eventually by a margin of 64 runs.

AB de Villiers (South Africa) – 52 balls vs West Indies, Sydney 2015

The player whom Glenn Maxwell and several other batters look up to comes next in the list. Mr 360 played a ball more than Maxwell for his century, but by no means was it any less deadlier. This game was also played at the iconic SCG, and it was the West Indies who were at the receiving end of AB de Villiers’ wrath.

South Africa had a great start batting first, with both Hashim Amla and Faf getting out in their 60s. The stage was set for a masterclass from de Villiers as 20 overs were left in the innings, and he didn’t disappoint with a 162* from just 66 balls.

Mr 360 hit the first 50 off 30 balls, then the next 50 runs came in just 22 deliveries and he scored the last 62 runs off just 14 balls. Overall, the unbeaten knock consisted of 17 fours and 8 sixes. Courtesy this innings, ABD holds the record of fastest 150 in ODIs.

His epic knock helped the Proteas amass 408 runs, West Indies did not put up a fight and lost the match after getting bowled out for just 151 runs.

Eoin Morgan (England) – 57 balls vs Afghanistan, Manchester 2019

Eoin Morgan, the former England skipper, was raining sixes at Manchester in the league stage game against Afghanistan. The left-hander scored a whopping 17 maximums (highest-ever in a single ODI innings) in his stunning knock of 148 from 71 deliveries.

Known for being a good player of spin, Morgan targeted Rashid Khan and others to notch up his century in 57 balls, the 5th fastest in World Cup history.

This impactful knock helped England steamroll the Afghans and gave them a good momentum for the upcoming games.